


Battle for the Empire

by communikate



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-01 21:45:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10930647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/communikate/pseuds/communikate
Summary: Our lovely space squad attends Altea University, the rival to Galra University. Upon arrival, they hear of the legendary team Voltron that directly competes against Galra University in a grand sports festival where the winner receives amazing funding and recognition. But it is much more than funding and recognition; Altea University has only won once in the years since the schools' founding.For some who are auditioning, Galra University is much more than just a rival.Between classes, training, romance, and that assignment due at 11:59pm, how will our lovely space squad survive?





	1. The Acceptance Ceremony

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fanfic, so I hope you enjoy :)

Lance wasn't even sure if he wanted to go to college. Yeah, he wanted more than anything to be a professional swimmer, but he hadn't really excelled in his last high school. Sure he had close friends that encouraged him to pursue higher education, but he was worried about his family paying for it. He wasn't the only child in the McClain household. But after receiving a large scholarship, larger than he thought he deserved, he decided to follow his friend Hunk to Altea University.

Hunk had always wanted to go to Altea. He had heard about their culinary program when he was 15 and started experimenting with the food in the kitchen. He had interned at a small restaurant in the foodcourt of the nearby mall and loved trying out new recipes – his employer hadn't been too happy at first. And what made Altea University all the more wild was that Lance, his childhood friend, would be coming along. They had already registered to be roommates!

Keith's father had encouraged him to go to his mother's alma mater, Galra University, but there was something about Altea settled in the far West of the country that called to him. Yes it was less prestigious and of a significantly smaller size than Galra University, but it was surrounded by a lush forest and wildlife. Galra University was in the center of a bustling city that never ebbed and never quieted. They lived in a small house in the South where each college was equidistant; however, it was clear where his father wanted him to go. Against his father's wishes and that of his late mother, he went to Altea University.

Pidge and her entire family screamed with delight at her acceptance letter from Altea University. Both her father and brother had attended a smaller university in the same area and detested the popularity of Galra University. They talked about the amazing computer science and engineering programs Altea provided. But before she could even send her acceptance, another letter arrived for Matt and her father. It was a detailed contract from Galra University, saying that Garrison University had been permanently shut down and bought out. All accomplished faculty members were being transferred to Galra University: Matt as a teacher and Mr. Holt as a researcher. They had practically become slaves to President Zarkon of Galra University. They consulted a lawyer, but the expenses to leave the contract were more than they could afford.

They tried to comfort Pidge as she accepted her admission to Altea. She promised that she would find a way to release them from the contract. Matt laughed and ran a rough hand through her hair, “Don't worry about us. Go live the college life. We'll be fine.”

“So you want me to go out every night for drinking and partying?” Pidge crossed her arms.

“Katie Holt!” Her mother snapped, and Pidge flinched. 

Matt winked, “Not every night.”

Only a few days later, Pidge and her mother watched as Matt waved from the passenger window of the car. They left her and her mother to move to the City of the Empire and work under President Zarkon.

Shiro had been visibly distressed to hear of his friend's forced transfer to Galra University. The two had stayed close after they graduated Garrison University. Matt stayed to start teaching and Shiro joined Altea University to pursue his master's degree. Matt had instructed him to take care of Pidge at Altea. He was counting on him.

The first day of school was – well, unexpected. The administration had gathered all of the new students, graduate and undergraduate, in the large gym where they had lined extra chairs in the basketball court for additional seating. President Alfor stood on the stage and cleared his throat.

“I am proud to welcome all of you to the graduate and undergraduate classes of 2017. May we prosper and fight for what is right!” The crowd cheered and he smiled. With a motion behind him, he brought forward a young girl. Lance felt his heart drop as he elbowed Hunk in the shoulder.

“Man, do you see her?” Was all Lance could whisper to his childhood friend before President Alfor continued speaking.

“May I introduce my daughter, Allura. She is a member of the senior class and one of the hosts for the Voltron auditions.”

She stepped forward and the lights of the stage reflected off her beautiful dark skin. She pushed her white hair over her shoulder to cascade down her back. “Welcome! I am glad to see all of you here rather than at Galra – ” 

“Allura!” The president reprimanded, but the student body chuckled and cheered. It was clear there was a distinct rivalry between the two schools. Altea University was the only one that could even come close to standing up against the influence of Galra University.

“There is a tradition passed down through each class since the inception of Galra Univeristy and Altea University. It is known as The Battle for the Empire. Have you heard of it?” Half of the crowd cheered. Lance glanced at Hunk who shrugged in response. “We are looking to form an elite troop of athletes, tech wizards, and leaders to compete in different events as a team. We are going to form Voltron.” She raised her fists to the sky and the crowd cheered. Hunk plugged his ears at Lance's incessant and earsplitting hollers. “I encourage all of you to try out. But remember, only the best of the best succeed to take the title of Paladin. I hope to see you all at the tryouts!”

She waved and sauntered off stage.

President Alfor continued talking, but Lance grabbed Hunk's sleeve. “We're trying out!” Hunk groaned.

Pidge squeezed her phone tightly in her grip. If she could fight against Galra, maybe she could see Matt and her father. Maybe she could find out where they were staying and what they were working on. She and her mother had hardly heard from them since they left. She would audition. And she would relish in destroying Galra in the games. 

Keith stretched back and laced his fingers behind his head. A healthy dose of competition sounded fun, but if he auditioned would his connection to Galra University be leaked. He wasn't sure how well the student body would receive that. He would doubt that anyone here had any connection to Galra. But if he succeeded and became a Paladin, would he finally understand what his parents thought so highly of?

Shiro received a text and surreptitiously looked down at his phone. 

Pidge: _I'm auditioning. And I know that Matt told you to take care of me, but I can take care of myself. Don't try to stop me. I will find Matt and my father._

Shiro sighed and typed back a quick text.

Shiro: _Wouldn't dream of it, Katie._

Pidge: _Pidge. I'm Pidge Gunderson here. I don't want anyone to know about my connection to Galra University. It'll hurt my chances of getting information._

Shiro: _Your secret's safe with me, Pidge._  
_I'll audition with you._

Pidge: _Shiro, you really don't have to do that for me._

Shiro: _It's not. It's for Matt._

Keith's phone buzzed and he plucked it out of his pocket, not caring who saw. Shiro had texted him. He hadn't heard from his childhood friend since he had gone off to graduate school.

Shiro: _Will I see you at the audition?_

Keith smiled bitterly; he knew he couldn't say no to a competition.


	2. Roommate Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I added the slow burn tag, just so you guys know what kind of commitment you're making! haha
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Lance whistled, “Wow, I didn't think there would be so many people here.” The room was a undulating swarm of bodies. They were gathering in the gym two weeks after the opening ceremony. Lance didn't even want to think about all of the homework he was missing out on completing to be here.

“It's making me nervous,” Hunk mumbled, swallowing a vomit-like burp. “Lance, are you sure it's a good idea to do this? I mean, we have that physics lab report due tomorrow at 10am, and we haven't even done the results section.”

Lance clapped his friend on the arm, “We're just doing some roommate bonding. You heard what our RA said, we need to bond as a room and as a floor.” And even though Lance said that, he kept getting the worst vibes from the guy who lived in the room next to him. Somehow he hadn't gotten a roommate, which Lance wasn't sure if he was jealous of or not. And he obviously didn't have very many friends – or good friends for that matter – because they would have told him that his mullet or whatever you called his haircut was heinous.

During their floor meeting last week, they had gone around the room for introductions.

“Hi, I'm Lance.” He rolled out his shoulders, “I'm aiming to be part of Voltron, so you better watch out. Also, if any of you lovely ladies are in need of some company – ” 

Shiro, their graduate resident assistant, RA, had cut him off there. Their floor was divided into two wings, one for girls and one for boys. And the girls eyed Lance with either sheepish laughter or outright disgust. “Okay, Hunk, how about you go?” Shiro gestured to the stocky man sitting next to him.

He raised his hand a little, “I'm Hunk Garrett, and I'm a culinary arts major. I hope we get along.”

A girl sitting next to him leaned closer, “I'm Shay and I love food, so you should cook for me sometime, Hunk.” The way she had said his name made it feel like a compliment as well. She laughed and the introductions continued down the line.

“Keith Kogane. Archeology major. Member of the fencing club.” His voice was gruff and damn was he off-putting. Lance knew instantly that Keith was just one of those people that he wasn't going to get along with. Lance cross his arms and glared at the guy.

“You auditioning for Voltron?” Lance's voice was harsh, harsher than he had meant it. Hunk eyed him suspiciously. Typically Lance was all fun-loving jokes and pick up lines.

Keith's eyes darted to their RA, “Yeah, I'll be there.”

Lance ground his teeth together as Keith leaned back on his hands, so relaxed it could kill him.

After several more introductions a small boy? Girl? Nonbinary person? Lance couldn't decide, but just shrugged it off, introduced herself, “I'm Pidge Gunderson. Computer science and electrical engineering double major. Nice to meet you.” She pushed up her glasses and smiled, bright and wide and lacking in worries.

The introductions finished and Shiro dismissed them all after a speech about “bonding as a floor” and “bonding as roommates.” Every resident went their separate ways, not bothering to strike up conversation. Shiro stayed behind and pulled Pidge and Keith aside.

Lance felt his face scrunch up, and he snagged Hunk by the elbow.

“What do you think they're talking about?” Lance whispered as they peered around the corner at the three of them.

Hunk shrugged his shoulders.

Pidge smile faded slightly as Shiro introduced Keith again. “This is Keith, a good friend of mine. And this is Ka – ” Shiro cleared his throat, “Pidge, the sister of my childhood friend Matt.” Pidge and Keith nodded at each other and shook hands.

“Nice to meet you,” Keith said stiffly.

“Ditto.” Pidge responded, a little colder than she normally was. If Keith knew Shiro would he know her about connection to Galra University?

Shiro was the only person here who knew of Keith's connection with the Galra, and he eyed Pidge wearily, wondering if Shiro had let anything slip.

“I hope you guys can get along. You have more in common than you think!” He clapped them both on the shoulders and smiled big. Both Pidge and Keith shot Shiro a dirty look and his hand froze on their skin. He laughed awkwardly. “Well, my room is just down the hall, so let me know if either of you need anything. If not, I'll see you at the auditions!”

Shiro strode away leaving Pidge and Keith awkwardly looking at each other. Pidge waved a hand and strode towards the girl's wing. At least that answered Lance's question. Keith shoved his hands into his pockets and strode toward where Lance and Hunk were hiding.

Hunk made some strange, nervous gurgling noise in the back of his throat as he floundered around for a place to walk or hide. Lance crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Hunk made an exasperated noise and flapped pleading hands as Keith rounded the corner.

“So you're auditioning?” Lance nodded his head upward, acknowledging Keith.

“Yeah,” was all that Keith said before he unlocked his door and strode in. Lance fisted his hands. It was that nonchalance – no, that arrogance of Keith's that got under his skin. And he had barely said three words to him.

Lance stomped to his door and Hunk followed. Jumping onto his bed, Lance turned determined eyes on Hunk, “Let's crush him at the audition.”

“I don't know if that's the wisest idea. I mean, we live on the same floor and Shiro just told us about bonding and getting along and I really wouldn't – ”

Lance put in his headphones and just shook his head at his nervous friend. Even if Hunk didn't want to show him up, Lance would die before he gave up his rightful spot on the Voltron team to Keith.

Pidge bit off a sigh when she strode into her room. Shay was perched on her desk, rearranging the crystal display she had set up on top of the connected shelving unit. She had rearranged it twice and tried to place crystals on Pidge's side of the room. She claimed they were crystals “of healing to promote your grow” and she deliberately looked at Pidge's breasts – or lack thereof. Pidge had resisted the urge to throw the crystals on the ground and crush them under her boots.

She clicked on her laptop computer and connected it to the additional monitor and the external gaming graphics amplifier she had set up. On top of the graphics amplifier box sat a small cloudy white crystal.

“Quartz, to promote holistic health!” Shay exclaimed, her voice bright and painfully optimistic. Her smile was broad. Pidge's smile twitched at the edges. She just nodded and shoved her headphones on. Maybe one of those first person shooter games would help her calm down.

  
  


Pidge woke the morning of the auditions to find Shay, awake and reading another one of her trash YA dystopian novels. She claimed she loved the struggle for freedom and how characters discovered what freedom truly was.

“You're not auditioning, Shay?” Pidge questioned, striking up conversation with her roommate, and trying to cultivate a more pleasing atmosphere in their shared room.

“No, my brother would kill me if I participated.” She sighed, dog earring the page of the book she was reading before setting it in her blanket covered lap, “My hometown is right near Galra University, so directly competing against them isn't great for my family. But I would if I could.” She sighed, winked at Pidge, and picked her book back up, “So get a spot for me, okay?”

Pidge nodded, “You got it!” And slipped out the door.

It was almost time for the auditions to begin.

  
  


Keith woke several hours before the start of the audition and warmed up on the outdoor track near the gym. Shiro ended up joining him, matching pace with Keith's smaller build.

“I knew you'd be here,” Shiro chuckled, and Keith shot him an annoyed look, but it shattered as his lips pulled into a smile. He faced forward.

“I need to get a space on Voltron.” Keith pumped his limbs harder, harder than a conducive warmup. “I need to face Galra with my own hands. I need to see what she was like,” His voice cracked a little on the edges, but he swallowed it.

Shiro clapped him on the shoulder causing Keith to stumble. He didn't say anything else, just quietly jogged beside him.

Everyone had begun gathering in the gym, and Keith was chatting with Shiro. Lance couldn't help but notice how close they stood. Of course the mullet would try to gain any advantage he could. He stood with arms crossed and the loose, red workout t-shirt was taught on his arms. Lance rolled up the sleeves of his olive green jacket and strode over to them.

“Where are we going? Lance?” Hunk stammered over Lance's shoulder, wringing his hands.

Lance gripped Keith's shoulder. Keith turned more sharply than Lance thought possible. Keith's hand grabbed the hand that had touched him. Lance jolted in surprise as Keith's sweaty fingers encircled his wrist. Keith relaxed and gently let go of the slightly taller boy's hand. Lance stepped closer, relishing in the half an inch of height he had on the boy.

“Like hell I will give my spot on Voltron to you. No matter what dirty tricks you use,” Lance growled, motioning to Shiro. Shiro crossed his arms; the carefree slant of his lips tightened, and his jaw clenched.

Keith met Lance's navy eyes. He took another step forward, and his voice was low, gravely, and on the verge of dangerous, “I would like to see you try.”

“You're on, mullet,” Lance rumbled.

Keith's face pulled back in surprise as a hand went to the back of his neck. Lance would have laughed if an alluring voice hadn't just sounded through the sound system of the gym.

Allura, President Alfor's daughter, strode on stage, a microphone in hand, “Welcome to the audition! May you fight as one for Altea!”

The crowd cheered, but Lance's eyes didn't leave Keith as the boy's blue-grey eyes watched the girl on the stage. His jaw clenched. Like hell he would lose to this guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! I promise more klance bonding *cough cough rivalry cough cough* next chapter!
> 
> Message me through my tumblr, voltronhastakenovermylife.tumblr.com, if you want to chat about my fic or anything voltron related!
> 
>  
> 
> (PS Sorry I don't know how to do a permalink!!)


	3. The Audition, Part 1

“Welcome to the audition! May you fight as one for Altea!” Allura announced into the microphone with more grace and regality than she felt. Her hand was sweaty on the microphone as she looked out onto the swarms of people gathered around the small stage her father had set up for the acceptance ceremony.

She hadn't expected this many people to audition. A hopeful buzz filled her fingers, and she couldn't fight the smile that overtook her face, “We're looking for a well rounded team so that we can win any competition the Battle of the Empire throws at us!” She raised her hand in the air, and the crowd cheered in response. Allura was finally beginning to feel the excitement of the crowd. She paced on the stage, directing her attention to different people in the audience.

“Team Voltron will face five to ten challenges chosen by a third party with no affiliation to us or to Galra.” Boos sounded in the crowd. Keith shifted his feet anxiously, and Pidge looked up from her phone. “Last year the competitions were a relay race, cavalry battle, flag football, NASCAR racing in the cars the team built, and a scavenger hunt.”

The crowd quieted thinking about the range and variety of the skills needed to win this festival. Allura cleared her throat and shifted the microphone to her other hand, “Last year we only won one game, because Lotor refused to let his team participate.” Allura ground her teeth, “He said that he wanted us to at least win one competition.”

Boos and cries thundered from the audience.

“The winner of The Battle of the Empire wins a massive amount of funding and a trophy with the team members names engraved on it. In the years since it's inception, Altea University has only won once.” Allura's voice constricted as she fought the anger that heated her cheeks. “So I wish you luck in the audition, and may the best succeed!”

The crowd was ecstatic, writhing with excitement and school pride. Allura handed the microphone off to Coran who was the main host of the audition as she strode off the stage. She ran for the bathroom and quickly dressed in casual workout clothes. She pinned her hair up, joined the crowd, and waited for Coran to begin.

“Hello all! I am Coran Hieronymus Wimbelton Smythe, your official announcer for the audition!” His accent was thick and the microphone squealed because his mouth was too close when he spoke. The crowd groaned and held hands to their ears. “Everyone should have gotten a number button when they walked in, right?”

Lance glanced down at the button he had pinned to his jacket. He hadn't thought much of it or of being 121. Hunk was 122. Keith and Shiro were 6 and 7. Pidge was 56. Allura was the last person to grab a button from a volunteer at the door, and she was number 237.

“After each audition activity, your score will be posted under your number. Each activity is worth a differing amount of points depending on how you rank. You will gain the most points if you are the highest ranked in a specific activity, whether it be a mandatory activity for all or one of the eight stalls set up around the room. We will have those with the highest scores on the scoreboard.” Coran motioned to the scoreboards in the corners of the gym. “As a reminder, there will be no cheating. If any of the referees or volunteers catch you, you will be automatically disqualified.”

Lance nodded and crossed his arms. This would ensure that he would beat Keith with his own strength. Keith shot a glance at Lance, but Lance didn't let his gaze slip from Coran. He could feel those blue-grey eyes on him, but he didn't look.

“The first mandatory activity will be a three legged race!” His voice was loud and booming through the speakers. The crowd surged as people grabbed their partner's arms and made plans for teams. Keith and Shiro nodded and smiled at each other. Lance placed a hand on Hunk's shoulder.

“With randomly assigned teams!” Coran added.

The crowd seemed to withdrawal from the partners they had just chosen. “The track is only so big, so we will have 10 groups on the track at a time. For those who aren't participating yet, you can take part in some of the other activities that are set up in stalls around the gym to increase your score.”

Pidge pushed up her glasses and found the first station to her right. It was filled with tech. She smiled and realized that she needed to play up her strengths. Four of the eight indoor tables had tech equipment on them. She would need to stand out in each of them in order to get enough points to be on team Voltron.

Coran called out pairings of numbers as Pidge was already walking to the nearby station, “And the last group, 122 and 56.” Pidge glanced down at her gleaming white button, “All the groups please make your way to the right side exit of the gym.”

Pidge was paired with the chef student from her floor. He had to be at least a foot taller than her. He was broad shouldered and wore a tentative smile. Their strides were nowhere close to being the same. She might as well have just latched onto his leg for the majority of the race.

A mischievous smile crept up Pidge's face. Hunk felt his palms sweat. She leaned closer to him, “How much can you lift?”

Coran stood at the starting line after student council volunteers had tied all of the groups' legs together. Pidge whispered a couple of things in Hunk's ear. He nodded, but the green sheen of nervous nausea didn't leave his face.

“In three ticks! Three,” Pidge bent her knees and held her arms out to the side. “Two,” Hunk grabbed Pidge's soft underarms, “One!” Coran shouted and the teams took off.

Hunk hefted Pidge in the air and sprinted down the track. Other teams were struggling with their lack of coordination and teamwork. Half way down the track, Hunk began to slow.

“Put me down!” Pidge commanded. Hunk placed her less gracefully than he meant to. She wound an arm around Hunk's waist, and Hunk dropped an arm over her shoulders. Pidge began shouting to coordinate their steps.

Unexpectedly, they came in first.

Second place skidded to a sudden stop behind them across the finish line. Pidge and Hunk struggled to regain their breath. A slender boy on the second place team raised his hand, “Coran, are they going to be disqualified? They cheated.”

“We did not!” Pidge scoffed indigently, “We simply used our resources and teamwork to win.” She pushed up her glasses, and Hunk shifted his weight behind her.

Coran stroked his mustache, thinking and nodding. “I have to agree with shorty over here. They had an excellent use of teamwork. Please go register with the volunteers at the table over there so they can take down your score.” Coran turned back to the race.

Pidge and Hunk high-fived, and Hunk let out a wonderfully broad smile. Pidge's shoulders relaxed. This spot on team Voltron could truly be hers.

  
  


After Hunk had left for the three-legged race, Lance tried not to keep an obvious eye on which station Keith went to. He shoved his hands into his pockets, reassuring himself that he was only following Keith and Shiro so that he could challenge and beat Keith directly. Keith and Shiro walked to the fencing stall in the gym, and Lance's pace slowed. Lance was more a swimmer than a fighter. But he wouldn't back down from this fight.

“Hey mullet!” Lance called out, and Keith snapped around. His left hand brushed the back of his neck. He mumbled something as Lance jogged to his side. “Fight me,” Lance nodded toward the fencing station that was slowly gathering participants.

Keith smoothed out his slightly embarrassed expression. Shiro stepped up beside him, “You may not want to do that Lance.” Shiro turned a proud smile on Keith, “He's here for a fencing scholarship.”

Lance swallowed. He only knew the most basic rule of fencing – don't get hit. The guys who were currently participating yelled words in another language when something happened, but Lance couldn't understand a thing. Keith's attention drifted to the pair fencing. Lance couldn't just back down after he had practically issued a duel.

Lance raised his chin, “Alright then. Fencing first, then swimming. I'm a member of the swim team. You're a member of the fencing club. Seems fair enough to me,” Lance shrugged his shoulders, leaning back on his heels.

Keith shoved his hands deep into his pockets, “No thanks.” He turned and walked toward the registration table for fencing. Lance seethed.

“I would like to register for the next match,” Keith spoke with the volunteer at the table.

She smiled, “Of course. Do you have a partner you wish to fence?”

“Me,” Lance's voice cut through Keith's conversation. He turned with surprising intensity.

“Do you want to challenge me that badly? What's your deal?” Keith seethed, clenching his hands. Lance didn't say anything, only raising his chin to emphasize the small amount of height he had on Keith. “Fine, you're on.”

“Keith,” Shiro began, but Keith cut him off with a look. Like hell he would back down when this guy kept demanding a challenge. Keith would give him a challenge.

Shiro shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

Coran was at the microphone again, “For the next round of three legged races,” he began calling out numbers, “7 and 237 are group 6.” Shiro pulled at his button. He nodded goodbye to Keith and Lance who were beginning to suit up in protective gear.

It had warmed up outside, and Shiro blocked the sun with a hand in front of his face. “Are you #7?” A voice with a slight accent made Shiro turn around. It was the president's daughter dressed in simple workout clothes.

“Princess,” he drawled stepping closer to her, “You're participating?”

She placed hands on her hips, and her neutral expression turned exasperated, “Why would I not participate? Lotor was on Galra's team last year. So why can't I?” She stepped closer and Shiro saw how her hair was truly the color of starlight, “And don't call me princess.”

Shiro smiled and held up his hands placatingly, “Sorry, I didn't mean to offend.” A volunteer came over and directed the team to their starting positions. Allura realized how tall and broad her #7 was. The rope was taught against her skin. He held out his arm and she gently placed her hand on the crook of his elbow.

He chuckled, dark and captivating, “No, like this.” He gently moved her hand from her cautious rest to his calloused hand, “For stability.” His smile was broad and unassuming. It made Allura blush. “Make sure to hold on tight.”

“Of course,” She quipped and looked at Coran for the signal to start.

  
  


Lance didn't realize how cumbersome this padding would be or how hot the mask made his face. He could see through it well enough to notice how Keith took practice swings with his sword. His movements were practiced and precise. Lance swallowed and bent his knees. His gloves were getting sweaty, and he shifted the position of his sword, something the volunteer had called an epee. Keith had simply nodded in response, and Lance had followed suit pretending he understood.

The referee stood on the outside of the fencing area. He raised a hand and shouted, “En garde.”

All Lance knew was that he needed the advantage and to get it, he needed to go on the attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So admittedly, all I know about fencing is the research I've done online, so if you know fencing, please correct me on anything I did wrong!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Contact me at my tumblr, voltronhastakenovermylife.tumblr.com, if you want to chat about anything Voltron related!
> 
> (PS your comments and kudos mean the world to me! Thank you!!! <3)


	4. The Audition, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy!

Lance had at least understood one thing. He knew that he could get points if he hit Keith or if he forced him out of bounds. He grabbed the sword with both hands and screamed as he charged. He pointed the sword right for Keith's abdomen.

Keith bounced on the balls of his feet, anticipating the charge. Keith effortlessly parried Lance's attack, tapping his epee right into Lance's abdomen. There was a buzzer attached to Lance's protective equipment that sounded when Keith struck him. A point for Keith. The referee motioned for them to go back to starting positions.

Keith grabbed Lance's arm and brought their rounded protective masks close together, “You can't use both hands on the epee, Lance,” he instructed. Lance ripped out of Keith's grip. He couldn't even pretend that he knew what was going on. He had no witty comeback and that only increased his irritation.

They took their stances again, and Lance try to copy how Keith bounced on the balls of his feet. He wanted to attack again, but he was afraid of giving another point to Keith. Whoever scored the most points in 3 minutes won, and Lance had just given Keith the first. He cursed and shifted his hand on the sword.

Beads of sweat voyaged down the slopes of Lance's back.

Keith began to take bouncing steps forward, fainting with the front of his sword.The sword felt awkward in Lance's hand, too heavy and unbalanced in hands trained to sliced water. Lance began trying to strike at Keith's gentle attacks. It was as if Keith was trying to teach him, and that made him furious.

He slapped Keith's sword away with a stronger than necessary parry. He took a lunge forward and jabbed at Keith's abdomen. Keith jumped back and struck Lance in the shoulder overtop of Lance's epee. Lance's sword barely touched Keith. There was a swell of pride at finally landing an attack.

A loud buzzing behind him. Lance cast a tentative glance at the small scoreboard. Another point for Keith. Lance had hit Keith, but because Keith landed his attack first, it was the only one that counted.

Keith stepped back into starting position, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Light weight, ready to attack or defend. Lance tried to match Keith's practiced elegance, stumbling forward with his epee swinging. Keith lightly parried and began to attack Lance, pushing his epee into different positions only to parry the attacks Lance tried to throw in when he saw the opportunity.

This continued for the next two and a half minutes. Keith trying to teach Lance some techniques with surprising patience. Lance would strike and fail. Keith had ten points, and Lance had yet to score a single one. In the last half a minute, it seemed that Keith's mentality changed. He attacked Lance without reservations. Advancing without hesitation. Striking at every opening Lance presented.

In the last thirty seconds, Keith scored another 8 points.

Lance hated him. He ground his teeth. Lance already understood how advanced Keith was. Was it necessary for him to be so god damn arrogant?

Keith took off his mask and shook out his hair. He hadn't wanted to attack Lance relentlessly. It's not as if he enjoyed fencing someone with no knowledge or training. But he hoped that this would discourage any talk of another challenge or competition. Lance ripped off his glove and threw it at the back of Keith's unprotected head. Keith turned on the ball of his foot, still alert after the fencing match.

Keith picked up the glove and placed in back in Lance's hand with a firm slap. Lance caught Keith's hand and pinned him with his glare, “Swimming next.”

Lance threw off his padded gear and stomped off without speaking with the volunteer at the table.

Keith sighed and apologized for Lance's behavior, but the volunteers simply shook their heads. This was nothing they hadn't seen before. “You should participate again against a stronger opponent. It'll help raise your score if you are the best fencer here.”

“I assure you, I am.” Keith nodded goodbye and rubbed the back of his neck. Had he just made a bigger mess of everything?

  
  


“Fourth place isn't bad, so please stop apologizing,” Shiro pleaded with Allura as she sat in the grass beside the three-legged race track.

“If I hadn't messed up our timing, we would have been second or third.” She placed her head against her folded up knees. Several strands of her starlight hair were falling out her bun. Shiro had the strangest desire to brush them back in place and bring this princess back to the level of regality she had shown earlier.

He sat down beside her, placing a calming hand on her back, “Princess, it's really alright. The longer we sit here contemplating what already happened, the less time we have for participating in the optional activities.”

She blew a huff and the piece of hair that had been hanging of her eyes shifted so that she could see Shiro. Sighing, she leaned back in the grass, “You're right, #7.”

“#7?” Shiro chuckled, and Allura couldn't help but smile. He had that kind of contagious laugh.

“Well, you keep calling me 'princess,'” She quipped, “And you never told me your name.”

Shiro's smile was bright, “I'm Takashi Shirogane, but everyone just calls me Shiro. I'm the RA of Arus's 3rd floor.”

“Allura.” She held out her hand, and Shiro's fingers were calloused but gentle as she took it. He squeezed her hand and shook it. Standing, he pulled her to her feet before finally letting go. “Alright,” Allura shook out her shoulders, “Let's go!”

  
  


Lance had stalked around the swimming area, waiting for Keith to show up ever since his three-legged race had ended. Lance had been called to participate almost immediately after fencing Keith. He had come in first after pushing his teammate to sweating and cursing.

But even in all this time since Lance's race, the mullet-wearing dunce hadn't even been near the swimming stall yet. Lance was wondering if maybe he had been called for the three-legged race. He was walking up to Coran when he saw Shiro walking beside a gorgeous babe.

Keith forgotten, he strode up to Shiro, “Hey Shiro, who's the pretty lady?” Lance raised and eyebrow and a cocky one-sided smile to the lady. She was surprisingly familiar with white hair and flawless, dark skin. Her eyes were blue with almost pink looking ribbons coloring the inner layer of her irises. She was breathtaking.

“This is Princess Allura,” Shiro chuckled. Allura swatted his arm.

“I said to stop it with that princess stuff, Shirogane,” Allura reprimanded. Shiro just laughed at the reprimanded and the use of his full name. Lance immediately stiffened at the closeness between the too. He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned forward dramatically, looking at both of their faces.

Allura swallowed, maybe she should have disguised her appearance more. Or her name. She probably shouldn't have told Shiro her real name since she didn't want all of the attention as President Alfor's daughter. However that smile of his hadn't let her think clearly.

She wanted to win a position on Voltron with her own strength. Not just because of who her father was.

“Are you,” Lance paused bringing a hand to his chin. Shiro was about to interrupt but Lance continued before her could say anything, “dating?”

“What?!” Allura jumped back from Shiro's side as blush colored her cheeks. She prayed her dark skin would conceal the utter embarrassment she felt. Shiro's eyes widened, and his eyebrows shot up before he started laughing. It was fully bellied and hardy. It was nothing like the small chuckles Allura had heard before.

Was that faint blush dusting the scar that ran horizontally across Shiro's nose?

Lance just shook his head, “More importantly, have you seen Keith. I told him to meet me at the swimming stall, but he hasn't shown his sorry face.”

Shiro's laughter died almost instantly at Lance's words, “Lance, you really shouldn't – ”

“The boy in red?” Allura questioned Shiro, earning her an unseen glare from Shiro. She had turned to face Lance, “We just saw him finish the three-legged race.” Her smile was broad as Lance took off running toward the exterior exit of the gym.

Keith had come in second in the three-legged race and nodded at his partner before striding away. He was more exhausted than he wanted to admit. He had faced another 3 difficult fencing opponents before his number was called for the three-legged race.

He grabbed a bottle of water from a volunteer at the door to the gym. A hand grabbed his arm, shaking water all over his shoes, “There you are, mullet!” Lance shouted, red faced and irritated. “I have been waiting for our duel this whole time. I can't believe you would try to bail like this.” Lance continued to mumble as Keith looked for any reasonable excuse to leave.

Lance had already talked to the volunteer before Keith could think of anything, “I'm allergic to Chlorine,” he fumbled.

The volunteer smiled up at Keith, “Our pool is saltwater. No need to worry.”

“Great,” Keith mumbled and followed Lance down to the dressing room.

  
  


Pidge had traveled to almost all of the tech tables in the interior of the gym. Her unlikely new friend Hunk was actually very skilled at working with machinery and excelled at one of the tables, even besting her. She was impressed. Pidge wondered if he applied the same tactics he did to mechanical materials as he did to food. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be the one to try all of his experimentations if he did.

Hunk made a choked noise, and Pidge looked to where Hunk was staring. Lance was dragging Keith towards the pool exit. “That is not going to end well,” Hunk whispered.

Pidge shrugged her shoulders, “It should calm down if you let them duke it out. Isn't that how boys work?” She scoffed and pulled out her phone. Hunk made an incredulous noise as if he was ready to defend himself saying that all men weren't Lance and Keith. Thank god for the small victories.

She began walking towards the next tech table and registering for their small competition. She was already on the board with a significant number of points because of her earlier wins. It was the coding competition that gave her the most points. The volunteer had to go ask Coran how many points to give Pidge because she had finished coding the challenge in three minutes, when the time limit was twenty.

The only other familiar names on the score board were Hunk's several spaces behind her and Keith's directly behind her. She had seen one of the fencing matches he had participated in, and wow, he was talented. He moved with a grace that belied his hours of practice. And a patience that must have taken years to sculpt.

She just wished she had seen his match against Lance. Now that was comedy.

  
  


The air began to smell briny even in the changing room. The rooms were hot and stuffy as Keith held up a small scrap of fabric he had been given at the door. “I am _not _wearing this.” Keith's patience was withering in the heat radiating from the pool just outside the room.__

____

____

Lance had already donned the speedo and was waiting for Keith to change. He turned around to see the shorter guy holding the speedo with the tips of his nails as far away from his body as possible. “It's for aerodynamics. Just put it on.” Lance turned his back again and leaned on a locker.

“No,” Keith balled the speedo up and threw it at the back of Lance's head. “If I just give you this win, will you leave me alone?”

“No,” Lance growled, picking up the speedo from the floor. He pushed it into Keith's chest. “It'll be like the last 30 seconds of our fencing match.”

“Then find me something else normal to wear,” Keith snarled back, pushing against Lance's shoulders. Lance cursed and mumbled insults about Keith has he jogged back out of the changing room. Five minutes later he produced a tight bathing suit, but these were a pair of shorts thankfully.

Lance was practically seething with anger as he pulled on his goggles and swim cap. There were several others on the starting blocks that Lance had met from swim team practices. The referee called out, “On your mark!” And all of the swimmers took position.

Keith looked at Lance and placed the ball of his right foot at the edge of the rough platform. His hands pressed on the platform beside his forward foot. His right foot he placed on the back of the platform that jutted upward.

The water was calm before Keith's eyes. Thankfully the match was freestyle, because it wasn't like Keith knew how to swim any other way. The referee yelled once again, “Get set,” Keith saw Lance's eyes jump to him.

“GO!”

Everyone splashed into the water. Keith's muscles stiffened as he watched the water splash and engulf the rest of the contestants. He stood on the starting block watching the contestants swim away. Cursing, he forced himself to dive into the water.

He thought calming words as he slowly kicked his legs and peddled his arms. He turned his head to the side and inhaled. He could do this. Another inhale. Another stroke. Another inhale. Another. Another.

He had made it about halfway across the pool, when he inhaled a small amount of water. It wasn't even enough to cough. Just enough that he could taste the salt on the back of his tongue. His limbs shook out of coordination, but he pushed forward. Another inhale, but it was more water than air. His feet flailed for the bottom of the pool. It was too deep, and he began to thrash in the middle of the lane.

His limbs splashed around him. He was panicked. Water sprayed against his face. His limbs were flailing and uncoordinated. The water was dragging him down. He felt memories bubble to the surface as he fought to keep his shoulders above the water. Memories that cut of his air.

He tasted more salt. He coughed.

His body wouldn't listen. He wanted to swim for the edge. To grab onto the lane lines. Anything. But his arms kept slapping and splashing. He could feel the pull of the the water sucking him under. He fought the urge to scream as the pressure rose in his chest.

In a measure of desperation he latched onto the floating lane line. Some of his panic eased when he didn't have to flail his arms and legs to stay afloat.

Using the floating lane lines as a guide, he pulled himself back to his starting platform. It was a slow process. One arm always stayed wrapped around the line as the other pulled him along.

Lance was already ripping off his swim cap and goggles, slamming them on the edge of the pool. He had come in second by 0.3 seconds. He couldn't afford second, not if he wanted to make team Voltron. Not if he wanted to beat Keith. He had been too slow to start, too conscious of Keith's lack of movement.

At the sound of coughing he looked to his left. Keith was hanging onto the lane dividers, shaking and pulling himself to the pool wall. He looked like a drowned rat. A hand shot out and pulled him up.

Shiro was standing there with a towel after he pulled Keith out of the water. Keith's legs collapsed underneath him. He sat, sprawled on the warm tile floor. Shiro placed the towel over Keith's head. Gently, he helped him stand. Keith's legs shook and he clamped a hand on each of Shiro's forearms for stability.

Lance quickly raced to Keith's side only to have Shiro's reprimand stop him, “Are you an idiot, Keith?”

Keith used the corner of the towel draped over his head to dry his mouth. He didn't meet Shiro's eyes.

“Are you? I can't believe you would try to go swimming after everything that's happened.” Shiro placed a hand on Keith's towel covered shoulder, and he sighed. “Please don't worry me like that, okay?”

Keith merely nodded and walked with unsteady legs to the changing room. Shiro watched Keith go as Lance walked up beside him. “Shiro, I didn't mean to,” Lance stumbled for the correct words, “I wouldn't have – ” 

“No Lance, this isn't on you. Keith shouldn't have gone swimming, and he knows that.” Shiro nodded and left. Allura was waiting by the door to the gym. Her face was pale and her hands wrung each other nervously. She met Lance's eye. He flexed his arm muscles, aware that he looked nice in his swimsuit.

She shook her head, a small smile returning to her lips. Shiro walked to her side and guided her out of the room.

A loud announcement sounded through the speakers, “All of the three-legged races have been completed,” Coran's voice was jubilant, “The last main audition event we have is the scavenger hunt!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing. They weren't aware if the scavenger hunt would start immediately and if they should be ready to go. There were already about twenty people who had left the competition, aware they couldn't make team Voltron.

“In a varga, please gather back in the gym for the scavenger hunt. If you are late, you are disqualified!”

Keith knew that he needed to beat several members of the fencing club at the tournament to be close enough to win a spot on Voltron.

Lance suctioned his goggles to his face and forced his swim cap on. He needed to win first place. It didn't matter if he had to drown to do it.

Pidge typed another calculation into her phone. She had completed all of the tech activities with flying colors and wanted some other points to buffer her score. Hunk had fallen from the scoreboard as more people participated in the activities in the gym. Pidge suggested a stall that Hunk might excel at and followed him over.

Shiro and Allura tried to visit as many of the stalls as possible to gain entry to the leaderboard.

It was a battle that no one could afford to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of the kudos and comments! They really mean the world to me!
> 
> If you want to chat you can message me on my [tumblr](https://voltronhastakenovermylife.tumblr.com)!
> 
> PS a varga is like an hour in Altean, or so said this website that I was using! Haha


	5. The Scavenger Hunt, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of your comments and kudos!  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

Keith stalked into the almost empty changing room and punched a locker. It creaked and he slumped on the bench. He buried his head in his hands, and his wet hair dripped droplets of water between his fingers. He thought that he would finally be over this. He should've listened to Shiro. He knew that he should've avoided the water. But there was a part of him that was proud despite the embarrassment that still heated his ears.

He had made it half way. He wasn't failure. He could still be a part of team Voltron. He could still find out about his mother. He could do it. He ran the towel over his head and changed. And when Lance finally entered the dressing room after placing first over all his competitors, Keith was gone.

  
  


“Five doboshes until the scavenger hunt instructions!” Coran yelled through the microphone.

Hunk kept circling looking at all the entrances for Lance. Pidge stuck out an arm and grabbed his elbow. “Lance isn't back yet. What if he doesn't get back in time.” He placed hands against his cheeks, “What will he say?”

“What will who say?” Lance questioned, picking something out from under his fingernails. Hunk turned around and swiftly picked Lance up in a big hug. Lance tapped a pinned hand on Hunk's chest, “Okay, okay. You're crushing me, big guy.”

Hunk placed Lance down more gently than he had swept him up, “I didn't think you were going to make it in time.”

Lance smirked and shrugged his shoulders. Glancing around the room, he realized that probably another 30 people had dropped out since Coran's first scavenger hunt announcement. The crowd was thinner still as others were trying to gather points at closing stalls. Pidge smiled at Lance, and Lance tried to remember the techy girl's name. And failed.

Shiro hadn't seen Keith since he had reprimanded him by the pool. He huffed and ran a hand through his tuft of white hair. Allura leaned on the wall beside him. “Do you think I was too harsh on him?” Shiro questioned, gazing at the ceiling.

Allura shifted her weight and felt her shirt brush against Shiro's well muscled arms. She pulled back faster than she meant to. “Maybe a little,” She admitted.

Shiro huffed, and he seemed to deflate a little. Of course that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear, but he appreciated that Allura had spoken her mind. He hadn't meant to embarrass Keith further. He was just worried. He knew that Keith's attitude and hotheaded personality had gotten him in trouble at several of his high schools in the past. Shiro just shook his head and looked to the dark scoreboard in the corners of the room.

After Coran's last announcement, they had cleared the scoreboard, but Shiro knew that he wasn't on it. Of course he was still worried about Keith, but he couldn't focus on him right now. He needed to focus on this scavenger hunt and becoming a member of Voltron.

“Time's up!” Coran announced into the microphone with a little too much glee as the doors shut around the gym. “Now for the final event of the audition. The scavenger hunt will take place in the football stadium just outside the gym.” Coran pointed to the large exit doors towards the North of the gym. Everyone tensed and people began shifting closer to it.

“Now, I'm sure everyone is wondering why the last event is something so obscure. Well, I bet you're thinking it's something along the lines of: 'During the Battle of the Empire, you will need to find the smallest clues and follow your instincts in order to succeed.'” The crowd murmured, several groups of people had been talking about different theories. That was currently the front runner. “Well, it's not! The only win we received was due to luck, so that is what this activity is about.”

The crowd was still silent.

Luck?

Lance was the first to laugh, starting a chain reaction in the crowd. He grabbed his stomach and shook with laughter. All that hard work, and it came down to luck? He had never been the lucky sort – except when it came to sneaking out. But he would make luck turn for him.

Keith clenched his hands, nails biting into his palms. He didn't like relying on something so arbitrary.

Pidge pushed up her glasses. Depending on the type of thing they were looking for, Pidge could figure out the most logical places for them to be hidden.

Hunk nervously tapped his foot.

Shiro crossed his arms.

Allura exhaled a calm breath. Last year she had helped her father reconstruct the audition process, but even she didn't know about the structure of the scavenger hunt.

“This is the last major event of the audition. There are ten silk flags in the stadium, because Voltron will have second string. Your job is to grab a silk flag before anyone else. The flags will have a one or two marked on it, denoting first and second strings. You cannot carry more than one flag.” Coran counted off on his fingers as he counted off rules.

“Depending on your ranking, you will be assigned an order in which to enter. Now please see the volunteers at the North doors for your order.” Coran gestured to the line of men and women with tablets.

Keith eyed the candidates ahead of him. Seventh wasn't a horrible start position, but it didn't matter where you started. It only mattered if you got a flag. The girl directly ahead of him was from his floor. “Pidge, right?” He questioned and she turned around. Her smile was broad, if not a little suspicious.

“Keith. Shiro's friend. The fencing major?” She questioned, a finger to her chin.

“No,” He laughed, a light delicate thing, “Archaeology, but I am in the fencing club.” He shifted his weight and glanced at the line forming behind them, “Well, good luck out there.”

Pidge nodded, punching Keith lightly in the arm, “You too.”

  
  


Lance's first place in swimming hadn't brought him as close to the front as he wanted. He could see Keith's dumb haircut amongst the ten heads between them. Like hell he would let that mullet head beat him.

Hunk was a couple paces back, spot twenty five. He was surrounded by people who looked like body builders. Their arms were hulking and rippling. He swallowed. He didn't want to get in their way.

Shiro and Allura stood next to each other, spots thirty three and thirty four. Shiro stood in front of Allura, pretty much blocking the whole view of the line in front of her. She shifted her feet and patted Shiro's shoulder, “Good luck,” she whispered. Shiro shot her a smile over his shoulder.

“Each runner will leave in thirty second increments. The volunteers will give you the signal when to leave. Now on your marks,” The first few people bent their knees, ready to take off. Several people shook out their shoulders and stomped their feet. “Go!”

Keith exhaled. Patience yielded focus. And he needed focus to win this scavenger hunt.

Pidge watched the girl in front of her leave. She stepped up to the exit. She could clearly see the path to the gym, marked with streetlights. The stadium was like a beacon in the night with blazing white lights. The volunteer yelled for her to go. She took off running.

Keith, even with a thirty second handicap, passed Pidge just before she reached the entrance to the gym. The few people in front of them were searching the thousands of seats in the stadium. Pidge guessed that they would place a flag in the farthest to reach position, which would mean the highest balcony furtherest from this entrance. She immediately turned to the staircase and started jogging up the stairs.

Keith wanted to rush and check every seat, looking for the small silk flag they had no description of. His body itched for action. The person in spot eight passed him and ran directly for the stadium seats. He glanced around looking for a hint of where to look first. He needed to be methodical about this. He saw a flash of brilliant red pinned to an advertisement flag pinned to the end of the first balcony.

That girl, Pidge, had raced for the stairs. Had she seen the flag? He sprinted to the stairs. It didn't matter who it was. He would tear the flag from their hands. He would be a part of team Voltron.

Lance shifted impatiently as he watched all of the people in front of him. Finally it was his turn to run. He let out a whoop and darted for the entrance. It was then that he realized how much of a part luck played in this activity. The other sixteen people in front of him were running through the stadium seats. Altea University stadium was built to hold a hundred thousand people. It was massive, and they were tasked to find ten small colored flags.

Lance started running. Running anywhere. He passed people who were scanning the seats. He ran to the furtherest section on the ground level. Another person saw him running so feverishly and assumed that Lance had seen a flag. He took off after Lance, following him intently. Stalking another predator to snatch the prey at the last minute.

Hunk shifted his weight at the exit to the gym. He didn't want to let his squeamishness take hold. He ran for the entrance to the stadium. Lance was running through the stadium seats faster than Hunk had ever seen him run. Hunk thought of looking in the area closest to him, but when he ran up the stairs he saw the food stalls. Now that would be a creative place to hide a flag.

Shiro took off running before Allura could say anything else. Her legs were heavy but her fingers were light and buzzing. She stumbled when she followed after Shiro. He didn't stand at the entrance long. Allura saw him take off towards the stairs before she was even in shouting distance.

Shiro suspected that the flags wouldn't be in easy to reach areas. Team Voltron needed to be made of people who had tenacity and grit. He raced up the stairs to see Pidge searching under the seats in the farthest area. He had a flash of dark pride, realizing they had had the same thought.

Allura ran to the first area of seats and desperately searched the underbellies of the chairs. She realized that these seats were probably the first ones checked. She started running, running anywhere to where people might not be. But by that point, more than an quarter of the people had been let into the stadium. It was crawling with people, and no one had announced that they found a flag.

Keith had climbed the stairs quickly enough, but locating the exact banner he had seen from the ground was proving difficult. His fingers twitched every time he watched another person enter the stadium. It wouldn't take too long before someone found him and the flag. He finally saw the red banner he had seen earlier. On the corner where the banner was bolted, the silk flag was tied tightly.

His heart fluttered as he tried to stick his hand between the bars. They were too close together. He cursed. He didn't think he could reach if he reached over the bars at least not without the danger of falling. Thinking quickly, he ran up to the nearby concession stand. It was serving popcorn. He pushed the button and shot his hand under the liquid butter machine.

It sizzled as it hit his hand. He cursed again, louder than before. He rubbed it into his skin as he ran back to the flag. The second tier of seats were now beginning to fill with desperate people. It was a tight fit but with the butter lubrication, his hand was able to squeeze between the bars. He began untying the red silk carefully. Every few minutes he looked around. He seemed to have caught the attention of someone on the other side of the auditorium. He quickly stuck his other hand through the bars, attempting to untie the red flag with trembling fingers.

The boy that had seen him from the other side of the second tier started running.

  
  


Coran twirled a hand through his mustache. “Oh, I forgot to mention that there was no fighting.” He shrugged. It shouldn't cause too big of an issue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! I love hearing what you have to say! (They also make my day!)
> 
> Hit me up on my [tumblr](https://voltronhastakenovermylife.tumblr.com) if you want to chat! :)


	6. The Scavenger Hunt, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My life is in shambles, and my soul is on fire.
> 
> Since I have finals week coming up, I had prepped some chapters (7-9 to be exact) so that I could continue to post on the regular while ~~dying~~ studying, BUT my computer deleted all of that. Yes, all 12,000 words of it. Sooooo I may not be able to post as frequently as before, but I am HOPING that I can post chapter 7 in a week!
> 
>  
> 
> Please pray for my soul, and I hope you enjoy!

When Pidge initially reached the farthest section of the stadium, she thought her idea was genius. But after searching six rows of seats on her hands and knees, she was beginning to think differently. She threw her hands up in the air and let out a growl of frustration. She could see Shiro searching a section near to her. Her knees were beginning to rub raw under her yoga pants, but she sank to them again and started crawling through the next row of seats.

  
  


Shiro could see the slight bob of Pidge's golden-brown hair through the seats. He needed a better strategy for searching these seats, all 100,000 of them. And yet, he realized there was nothing better than the systematic method of checking each seat. He could try crawling up the stairs and looking down each row rather than slithering down them like Pidge. However, it was definitely probable that he would miss a flag this way.

He heard several more sets of footsteps clatter up the main staircase. He raced for the stairs in his section and slowly crawled up them, looking underneath each row as he climbed. This was the only chance that he had to find a flag before his competitors.

  
  


Lance had reached the far end of the field before the person following him could overtake him. He jogged up the steps and into the stands. His fingers were frantic. He was typically more calm and collected in moments like these. Hunk would normally be standing beside him, wringing his hands and spouting nervous nonsense. And then Lance could pretend to be overconfident, smacking his friend on the arm and dragging them past the finish line.

He began running through the seats and after the first five rows, he realized how fruitless this all was. He could never find a flag in all of this. The guy who had chased him down was now frantically looking wherever Lance was. The desperation in his eyes was terrifying.

There was a scream from the other side of the stadium, a girl was running toward the entrance, toward a volunteer with a clipboard. She was followed by at least ten people. After she handed the flag off to the volunteer, the volunteer spoke into a microphone. The sound was jarring to everyone's pinpoint focus, “Announcing Ryner Olkari as the second string green Paladin.” The girl was ushered through the exit and the group that was following her dispersed.

Lance felt this surge of futility. How could he even begin to find a flag in this place? How could he even hope to succeed?

He shook his head. He needed to squash his doubt. Continuing down the row, he ran his hand underneath the seat. He hissed when an edge of metal slashed his finger. Pressing it against his lips, he rushed down the stairs to the concession area. He slipped into the first bathroom.

Running his hand under the sink, the blood flow finally petered and stopped. With a sigh, he splashed water on his face. He felt a little rejuvenated. Finding a flag was a daunting task, but it seemed a little more manageable now that he had his head on straight. He gazed at himself in the mirror, raising his chin and winking.

A flash of blue in the paper towel dispenser caught his eye. Within a second, he was at the dispenser ripping out wads of paper. Eventually, he pulled a silky flag out of the clear dispenser. With trembling fingers, he unfolded it. A stark black one. First string blue Paladin.

My god. He had done it! Now the issue was how to get it to the volunteers without being ambushed?

  
  


Hunk had already searched the hotdog joint, the Dip 'n Dots cart, and the McDonalds concession stand. He was feeling guilty for trespassing into these stores. Bile tickled the back of his throat. He swallowed it down. He tried to rationalize why his trespassing was necessary. The concession stands had pull down gates that normally would close them off during off hours, but not a single one was. They were open, inviting. And that couldn't be a coincidence.

Hunk ran to the next station, jumped and slid over the counter. Hunk was pulling popcorn buckets from a cabinet when he saw Keith sprint past. Hunk ducked behind the counter, hiding. He only heard the plethora of pounding footfalls and screams.

He dug through the cabinets with increased desperation. It was only a matter of time before someone had the same thought as him. He just prayed that it was long enough for him to find a flag.

  
  


Keith hadn't even been able to check the number on the flag before he took of running. The guy on the other side of the stadium had sprinted to him, and almost snatched the flag from his hand. Keith had hopped over a Dip 'n Dots cart in a way to out maneuver him.

What he hadn't realized was that there wasn't just one person chasing him anymore. The red silk bunched in his hand attracted the attention. They were stumbling over each other, elbowing and cursing for a chance to get at Keith.

His breath was harsh and grating as he sprinted toward the stairs. He had almost reached the railing, when someone jumped him from the back row of seats and tackled him to the ground. The rough concrete abraded his knees and elbows as he fought off a man double his weight in muscle. The guy was obviously proficient in some form of martial arts as he tried to slip Keith into positions that would make him submit. Keith kept pulling his limbs from the nail-biting grasp of the stranger.

He thrashed underneath the guy. They were both cursing and swearing, vying for the top position. Those that were also after the flag surrounded them in a circle. There were cheers as Keith punched the guy in the face. He reeled back for only a second. Not enough time for Keith to wiggle out form underneath him.

With a grin coated in blood, the attacker returned the sentiment. The punch was a wash of colors and staggering pain. Keith felt the edge of his nose crunch. The pain radiated all along his cheek and down to his gums. He let out a scream against clenched teeth. He covered his face with trembling hands.

With renewed vigor, the attacker pried Keith's hands from his face and pinned them to the ground. His thighs were squeezing Keith's thighs, preventing him from moving.

Keith was completely pinned down, looking up at this guy's face. A droplet of blood from the nose bleed Keith had given him dripped onto Keith's bruising cheek. The attacker smiled with teeth coated in blood as his fingers crept up Keith's arm toward the flag.

A grunt startled Keith. He watched Hunk appear from the crowd that had surrounded them. Hunk bent down and shouldered the man off of Keith. The guy flew off Keith and landed among the spectator's feet. The attacker let out a howl, clutching at his shoulder. The audience that had gathered stepped back as Hunk pulled Keith to his feet.

Hunk glared at them as he slung Keith's arm over his shoulder and helped him walk. The attacker had made Keith roll his ankle, and every time he put weight on it he cringed. He wouldn't be able to make it to the volunteers without Hunk's help.

They both knew that Hunk didn't have time for this. Didn't have time to help his floor-mate that he barely knew. And yet there was no indecision in Hunk's features.

Hunk made casual conversation as he helped Keith down the stairs. They were a quiet a pair, one smelling of popcorn and hotdogs and the other smelling of melted butter. It took them an excruciating five minutes to reach the ground floor.

Halfway down the stairs Hunk asked if he could just fireman carry Keith. Keith raised a single eyebrow and tried to step out of Hunk's grasp. Hunk just laughed and helped Keith the rest of the way down the stairs.

The volunteer ran up the them the second she saw Hunk helping a staggering Keith.

“My goodness! What happened?” She held her clipboard tight against her chest.

Keith kind of shrugged and was about to offer up a suitable lie, when Hunk interrupted him, “Another auditioner attacked Keith for his flag.” Keith, fighting the urge to keep the flag hidden in his fist, extended his hand and handed over the red flag.

The volunteer took it, jotted down Keith's name before picking up the microphone sticking out of her bag. She cleared her throat and spoke over the stadium speakers, “Announcing Keith Kogane as the first string red Paladin.” First string? Keith sagged more dramatically into Hunk. She flicked off the microphone, “Congratulations, Keith.”

She waved several other volunteers at the entrance over, and they took Keith from Hunk's support. Keith nodded at Hunk solemnly, aware of the sacrifice he had just made for him. Keith bit his lip and put a little more weight on his ankle, “Shit.”

The volunteer leaned close to Hunk and smiled broadly, “You smell like popcorn.” She glanced at her clipboard and back at Keith, “As compensation for the service you did for your friend, I'll let you know that you're close to finding a flag.” She winked and walked away.

Hunk stood in the shadow of the stadium, flustered.

He was close.

He rushed back up the steps and around mills of people who seemed to have lost hope at finding a flag. He slid over the popcorn concession stand's counter and sunk to his knees to search the cabinets.

Nothing.

Sighing a deep breath, he looked around the stall. There was no popcorn in the machine, but it still smelled so strongly of popcorn it was deafening to his senses. On a whim, he opened the glass pane and suck a hand in the suspended kettle. Silk awaited his fingers.

Slowly he pulled a yellow cloth out of the machine. He sunk to the ground, letting his back rest against the cabinets. He tentatively unwrapped the fabric to see a dark black one stitched on the fabric. First string, yellow paladin.

  
  


Shiro was crawling up his third set of stairs when a girl ran past him. She tripped over his legs, trying to sprint to the other side of the stairs. Shiro immediately shot a hand up to steady her. He righted himself, keeping his firm grasp on her arm.

Her eyes were wide, and she fumbled for words, “T-thank you. I'm so – I'm so sorry. I just didn't see you,” she motioned to the stairs and Shiro's dirtied shirt. Shiro just kind of shrugged and released his grip.

“No problem.” He scratched the back of his head. She nodded and took off running down the row, running a hand under the lip of the seat. Shiro sighed and was about to lay back on the stairs and search once again, when he saw the trash can. The trashcan was in the aisle that ran along the back area of seats. However, Shiro couldn't remember if he had seen any other full trashcans.

Why would it be full?

He pounded up the rest of the stairs and started digging through the foil smelling trash.

  
  


Pidge was on the second to last row of the seats she was in. Others had already run through the rows surrounding her, eyeing her slow progress. She cursed again, moving another step forward on her hands and knees. Her knees ached and her hands felt raw and sticky.

Something caught her eye under one of the seats. She had seen enough of these seat's undercarriage that she could draw it blind folded. And Pidge couldn't draw with her eyes open. There was a small grey envelope hidden in the shadows under a seat. She pulled at it, the tape resisting.

Sitting back on her feet, she ripped open the envelope and green silk tumbled out. Her heart stuttered as she clutched it in her hands. She took off running along the back aisle.

  
  


The garbage hadn't smelled as bad as Shiro thought it should. And the more he dug through it, the more it seemed contrived. Sure there was popcorn and wrappers, but no liquids or any half-finished food. Shiro pulled out an empty soda cup to pry off the lid and watch black silk float onto the garbage.

Pidge ran past him, a splash of green in her hand.

“Pidge!” Shiro called, stopping her at his side. She paused, feet still prancing beneath her, “Let's go together – ” He exposed the black silk to her, “For safety.”

  
  


Allura became more and more frantic as she ran through the seats. It felt as if she was just seconds away from a flag. Luxia found a flag in the row next to Allura, just before she could check it. A shorter, squat man ran past her with a red silk dangling from his meaty fists. He was running from the seating section adjacent to Allura at the time.

She could feel a curse building up in her throat. She let it loose as a tall, slender boy with a pathetic beard ran past with a black flag in his hands. “Quiznack!” She screamed and kicked the metal support beam of the seats. Clutching her foot, she jumped to keep her balance. 

  
  


Lance peered out the crack he'd opened with bathroom door. He had tried to tuck the blue flag in his pocket so that he could inconspicuously walk to the volunteers, but it just made him look more suspicious. It was a noticeable bulge that would definitely draw the eye, even if he walked with his hands in his pockets. And with the way that the person followed him in the beginning, he didn't want to become a target.

Eventually, he opted to tie the flag around his neck and tuck it into his shirt collar. His shirt was blue, so at first glance it didn't appear as if he was wearing anything. But if someone looked at him with more than a passing glance, they would see the lumps and awkwardness of his neckline. But he didn't want to just hold it in his hand, fearing that he would lose it in the wind or that his lack of luck would finally catch up to him.

He crept out of the bathroom, looking at all of the people milling about. They seemed to have given up on finding a flag, feeling the futility he had felt earlier. But he knew that if they realized he had a flag, they would chase him down with vigor and bloodthirsty hands.

He fought the urge to touch his neck and make sure that the flag was still there. He didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to him or to his flag. He kept his head down but his eyes wary. Making sure that he wasn't being followed, He turned around still continuing to walk toward the exit to the field. Suddenly, he bumped into someone.

He jumped back and cursed as his hand instinctually went to his neck.

The boy in front of him clasped his hand close to his chest. He pointed at Lance's neck as Lance pointed at his hand.

“You found one!” They both yelled en tandem. Before silencing the other with a hand pressed to their mouths. Hunk couldn't fight the light in his eyes or the smile behind Lance's hand. But that quickly faded as he turned around and Lance braced himself against his back. It seemed that they caught several people's attentions.

“Shit,” Lance cursed under his breath. He felt Hunk chuckle behind him.

“Ready to run for it?”

“GO!” Lance shouted and they bolted for the exit. It took only a breath before people were charging them. Shouts and pounding feet followed them. They rushed for the exit to the field and the volunteers.

Lance pumped his arms, breathing heavily. His shoes slapped the ground with an even pattern. Hunk's breathe was harsh in his throat, but he kept pace with the swimmer.

Lance hissed as several nails scraped down his arms.

Hunk jumped over legs that tried to slide tackle him. Lance caught an arm of Hunk's to steady him. He sent him a grateful smile.

They made it to the volunteers, huffing and heaving. The crowd that had gathered behind them filtered back, but several of them simply left the stadium.

  
  


“Announcing Hunk Garrett as the first string yellow Paladin. Announcing Lance McClain as the first string blue Paladin.” Pidge and Shiro paused in the stairwell, listening to the newest announcements. There was a small rush of pride in Shiro; those were his residents.

Pidge clutched the flag tighter against her chest. They were some of the last to find the flags. Would that make everyone more desperate to find one?

  
  


Allura stiffened. Her searching became more and more frantic. But there was nothing. Nothing under the seats. Nothing in the aisles. But the green and black flags were still in play, and she wouldn't give in until her name was announced.

She saw Shiro run past with flash of black in his closed fist, “Shiro!” She called out before she could stop herself.

He paused, the young girl beside him stiffened, waiting. The girl's hands rose in a sloppy fighting stance, more casual but prepared nonetheless.

Allura ran up the aisle to stand before him. He smiled weakly, looking over her with curiosity and apprehension.

She bit her lip, one hand casually playing with the hem of her sleeve. She wanted to ask for the flag. Wanted to beg and plead and say that she would do anything for it. But she couldn't stoop to that level. She couldn't put him in that position.

And there was a look of determination in Shiro's gaze that she identified with.

“Good luck,” was all she said with what she hoped was a comforting smile. He nodded and took off with the young girl.

She didn't stop searching. She knew it was fruitless, but she didn't stop.

“Announcing Pidge Gunderson as the first string green Paladin. Announcing Takashi Shirogane as the first string black Paladin.”

She collapsed to one of the seats with a muffled sob. Chewing on her lip, she looked to the darkening sky. She hadn't made team Voltron, and as a senior, she wouldn't have another chance. She closed her eyes slowly and let a single tear run down her cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! All of your comments and kudos LITERALLY MEAN THE WORLD TO ME!!!
> 
> If you want to chat about my fic or anything voltron related, hit me up on my [tumblr](https://voltronhastakenovermylife.tumblr.com)!!

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you enjoyed! If you have any comments and would like to reach out to me, you can contact me at my [tumblr](https://voltronhastakenovermylife.tumblr.com). Or follow me for updates and Voltron posts :)


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